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Wynd
(< Previous Chapter) - (Next Chapter >) Gebel's POV The Eyes-&-Ears. A dark spyre, stretching into the sky, piercing the clouds, and atop it all an iron eye and green flame, looking down on the valley surrounding it. From this angle, the eye obscured the sun, casting down a shadow. But still, a small sliver of the sun shined through. 'Black & White. Shadow & Shine,' Geb thought. The tower was beautiful, yet horrid, and Geb couldn't help himself in thinking that it really hit the admirer over the head with its message, and with its blachumor fire: 'god watches all, and his flames are inescapable.' His wit was his bane - 'a priest ought be subservient, not question his God. Not laugh at Him. I don't deserve what I've been given.' He looked down bitterly at Hark, a staff given to the White-Ear of Telf. It would supposedly help him channel his magicks, making him an ever more powerful warwyzard. At its end was an ear carved of wood, and painted white. Along the staff was written a prayer. He looked up at the Eyes-&-Ears once more, raising his staff. "I thank you God, for all that you've given me! I thank you for giving me a worthy emperor to follow. I thank you for giving me the opportunity to spread the faith!" He stood on a bridge over a great gorge. Wind bit at his face, and his choppy blond hair flew back. His green eyes stared hard at the iron eye, shining ever brighter as the green flames up there roared along with the wind. He heard it, and felt it, and allowed the power of God to flow through him, coursing through his veins like lightning. He raised his staff, shouting: "Hark, yel!" Wind roared forward, towards the iron eye, smashing into the green flame, putting it out. A second passed, and the flames were born once again. Cheers erupted to either side of him at the ends of the bridge. His fellow grey priests, some his friends, others his enemies, all stalwart followers of Calthoss. It was difficult to not genuinely smile. So he did. Although he felt he was unworthy of this title, he still felt happy that the High Grey had raised him to it. He was to travel out, and be the personal Eyes-&-Ears of the Great Emperor of the Stone. "The White-Ear will be heard," he muttered to himself, walking towards his fellow grey priests. He faked a smile, and allowed himself to be congratulated. A grey priest whom he had previously considered a rival as younger boy approached him. "Snakepit, I know that I have not always been very... charitable to you, well let me say that I was wrong. Our Shining God has chosen well in you, I know it. For his name is hallowed." Gebel smiled, "you flatter me so. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I do think the God has made a pretty good choice if I don't say so myself!" A lie, delivered as a joke. A joke which roused laughter from his fellows, and a small proud smile from the High Grey at the back of the group. Wordlessly, the grey priests made room for Gebel to walk to the High Grey. "White-Ear. Duke. Warwyzard. These are your titles, Gebel Snakepit. But... they do not quite convey your importance. The tomes tell us that there have been over 3,000 White-Ears in our proud faith's history. Some have brokered peace deals, and saved us all. Still others have betrayed the faith, and our people were massacred. The faith survived, as there can be no peace without bloodshed. T'is why it is important to make bloodshed, to kill others so that we might have peace. So that God may continue through us his master plan. As you well know, I have declared for Ayeson Garlcutter. You, as a great warrior, proud white priest, wynd wyzard, golemist, and more than anything, close friend to Ayeson and his Lyzard Lych have been chosen as White-Ear. I know you will not fail us. You will not fail me, I forbid it... come, we must meet with the emperor. Now you are not friends, but a tool to be used in service of a common god." Gebel nodded, and said "this is hallowed." The High Grey smiled, before turning, and commanding the other grey priests to return to their duties. His retinue of guards followed him. Privately Gebel considered the rhetoric of 'making bloodshed,' and even questioned it. It was a line of questioning that he forced himself to stop thinking about. Unsuccessfully. He knew Ayeson, and the Lych too well. They did not enjoy making bloodshed. In fact, they enjoyed very little outside of praying, and oddly enough, cleaning. Too them, war was not too distinct from prayer. A violent god was a god that required violent devotion. Sacrifice. But oftentimes it occured to Geb that the faith strayed far more into violence than anything else. There was supposed to be a balance between good and evil. War was to meet peace. But instead it has been destroying it, and has nearly supplanted it wholly. 'This land has been plagued by war for nearly 100 years now, ever since 36th... Are we an empire or a faith?' Often these thoughts would enter Gebel's mind, and the rule-follower in him would attempt to suppress them. But before now, he was merely another white priest. One amongst thousands who joined the order because they were too scrawny to join the Order of Black Priests. Geb was lanky, and merely very thin on a good day. Sometimes he would become sickly. Other times he would have to resort to magicks to heal himself or relieve pain. Being a priest gave him meaning in life. With magicks to learn, and sermons to attend he had something to do, but no real power or true inclination to fight against the injustices he would sometimes notice in the faith. Once or twice he had participated in what the faith might call "subversive activities." Most-notably, he once left the city with some black priests, who burned a small village, and threatened to rape a little girl. He choked the life out of them, and disposed of their corpses in a nearby river. No one ever knew, except for the girl. But he knew, and it ate at him. Walking just behind the High Grey, Geb and the High Grey's retinue of priest guards arrived at a series of ruins known as the High Pillars. Just beneath here lay the High Grey's personal residence, which was to be a simple room free of any luxuries. Somehow Geb doubted the High Grey actually resided here, noting that Ayeson, a dangerous warlord, was merely allowed to wait here. The High Pillars were so-named for they were a series of jagged, grey pillars dotting seven stone platforms arranged in a large circle. Ayeson, along with seven guardsmen, chosen symbolically from the seven largest Sarplander tribes, including a few Cubenners (who had been resisting Ayeson's efforts to conquer Cubenn Isle for six months now) were all standing near the top. Geb noted that not one of them was facing the direction of the Eyes-&-Ears. It was tradition for outsiders to not be allowed to look upon the tower. 'Ayeson has always been one for traditions. Though I must admit, these chieftains around an emperor stood ahead of that monstrous tower is quite an imposing scene.' The High Grey smiled at Ayeson, who introduced the seven chieftains one by one. These were all men of ill-repute, and good faith. They held strong to the old traditions, and had each been raping and murdering since they were children. Geb felt in equal parts admiration, and disgust at them. They too seemed to regard him with respect, though he could sense no disgust. He was the White-Ear after all. "It is no secret that as of late the faith has had more and more political aspirations," said the High Grey. For an instant he looked lost in thought. "I myself was only raised to this position when my uncle took power in Escerd. Be that as it may, I am the High Grey. God's chosen emissary, one way or another. And... I truly, and totally believe that God's plans should be achieved by the faith. If that means conquest, making war, and even treaties, and trade deals, I am willing to compel the faithful. And let us not forget that this is about faith. About magicks, and mysticism, and things that no mere man could hope to comprehend..." He examined everyone for a brief moment, and pointed to the Eyes-&-Ears, compelling Ayeson, and his men to turn, and look at the tower. "Do not repeat what is said here today, good chieftains. I have seen it through the iron eye, a black portend of coming doom and death and despair. But not for us. I see wailing women clutching their broken wombs, men being slain in scores and scores. I see mighty cities burning, and kingdoms being laid waste to. I see a crown being smashed. I see an ugly boy with a broken nose, sat a saddle as though it were a throne. Ayeson Garlcutter, I saw you, burning Stonetowers, and raping women and men alike at Thousandtrees. I saw you smash a knight's helm open, and inside was a bleeding wolf. I saw you bring despair to the soufron lords. For that, I ask you, take up the sword, and name yourself not just Great Emperor of the Stone Come Again, but Great Emperor of the Far West." The chieftains took to their knees, and prostrated themselves before Ayeson. The emperor unsheathed a sword, and pointed it at the tower. "Gebel," Ayeson said. Gebel wordlessly raised his staff in the direction of the iron eye. "I hereby declare myself Great Emperor of the Stone, of the Forest, of the Water, Prince of the Sky, King of the Delkish Empire and Crahia, and the King Clad in Black who will bring about the prophesied Fall of Humankind!" His voice boomed, and all at once, what he said seemed true. The chieftains, priests, and even High Grey erupted into cheers, and all Gebel could notice was the black star barely peeking over the horizon. He unleashed a fury of wind into the iron eye, and seconds later the flames went out. They once again erupted forth, and another second or two later the sound of the fire resounded gloriously. The smell of blood was in the air. (< Previous Chapter) - (Next Chapter >) Category:Tale of Zul Category:Chapters Category:To-do